Drinking and sealing lids for vessels and associated devices and methods

Abstract

A sip lid for a children's drinking vessel includes a spout component having a first end region and a second end region opposite to the first end region. The spout component is shaped and sized to be received within a child's mouth. The first end region comprises one or more openings configured to allow liquid to be extracted through the spout component when the child is applying suction to the spout component. The sip lid also includes a base component extending from the second end region of the spout component and surrounding the spout component. The base component is made from an elastic material configured to allow the base component to stretch over differently sized mouths of drinking vessels to form a liquid-tight seal between the base component and the drinking vessels.

I claim: 
     
       1. A sip lid for a children's drinking vessel, comprising:
 a spout component having a first end region and a second end region opposite to the first end region, wherein—
 the spout component is shaped and sized to be received within a child's mouth, and 
 the first end region comprises one or more openings configured to allow liquid to be extracted through the spout component when the child is applying suction to the spout component; and 
 
 a base component having (i) a top portion extending from the second end region of the spout component and surrounding the spout component, and (ii) a side portion extending away from the top portion and configured to extend around a neck of the children's drinking vessel, wherein the side portion comprises—
 a first inner surface, 
 one or more ridges extending radially inward from the first inner surface and configured to concur within threads along the neck, and 
 a peripheral edge region having a second inner surface with a larger diameter than that of the first inner surface around a circumference of the peripheral edge region, the second inner surface being substantially parallel to the first inner surface; and 
 
 the base component is made from an elastic material configured to allow the base component to stretch over differently sized mouths of drinking vessels to form a liquid-tight seal between the base component and the drinking vessels. 
 
     
     
       2. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein the base component is configured to couple with and form the liquid-tight seal with mouths of drinking vessels having diameters ranging from about 30 mm to about 55 mm. 
     
     
       3. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein the base component is configured to couple with mouths of drinking vessels having different shapes. 
     
     
       4. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein the spout component and the base component are made of the same elastic material. 
     
     
       5. The sip lid of  claim 4 , wherein the elastic material is silicone. 
     
     
       6. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein the sip lid is configured to form the liquid-tight seal between the sip lid and the drinking vessel by friction fit. 
     
     
       7. The sip lid of  claim 5 , wherein the base component does not include threads. 
     
     
       8. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the spout component has an elliptical outer peripheral shape, and 
 the base component has a circular outer peripheral shape. 
 
     
     
       9. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the side portion extends perpendicularly from the top portion, and 
 the spout component extends from the top portion of the base component. 
 
     
     
       10. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein the side portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of grip regions separated by a plurality of flat regions, the grip regions forming protrusions or indentations along the outer surface. 
     
     
       11. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more ridges are configured to concur within one or more roots of the threads of a neck of the drinking vessel to form the liquid-tight seal. 
     
     
       12. The sip lid of  claim 9 , wherein the top portion of the base component includes an opening extending through the top portion of the base component. 
     
     
       13. A lid for a vessel, comprising:
 a spout component having a first end region and a second end region opposite to the first end region, wherein—
 the first end region comprises one or more openings configured to allow liquid to be extracted through the spout component; and 
 
 a base component having (i) a top portion extending from the second end region of the spout component and surrounding the spout component, and (ii) a side portion extending away from the top portion, wherein the side portion comprises—
 a first inner surface, 
 one or more ridges extending radially inward from the first inner surface and configured to concur within threads along a neck of the vessel, and 
 a peripheral edge region having a second inner surface with a larger diameter than that of the first inner surface around a circumference of the peripheral edge region, the second inner surface being substantially parallel to the first inner surface, and 
 
 the base component is made from an elastic material configured to allow the base component to stretch over differently sized mouths of drinking vessels to form a liquid-tight seal between the base component and the drinking vessels. 
 
     
     
       14. The lid of  claim 13 , wherein the base component is configured to couple with and form the liquid-tight seal with mouths of drinking vessels having diameters ranging from about 30 mm to about 55 mm. 
     
     
       15. The lid of  claim 13 , wherein the base component is configured to couple with mouths of drinking vessels having different shapes. 
     
     
       16. A method of using a sip lid, comprising:
 stretching a base component of the sip lid around threads of a neck of a drinking vessel to form a liquid-tight seal between the base component and the neck without using threads, wherein—
 the base component includes (i) a top portion, and (ii) a side portion extending away from the top portion, 
 the side portion has a first inner surface comprising one or more ridges, 
 the side portion includes a peripheral edge region having a second inner surface with a larger diameter than that of the first inner surface around a circumference of the peripheral edge region, the second inner surface being substantially parallel to the first inner surface, 
 
 the liquid-tight seal is formed by positioning the one or more ridges around the threads of the neck of the drinking vessel so that the one or more ridges concur within one or more roots of the threads of the neck of the drinking vessel, 
 the sip lid comprises a spout component having a first end region with openings configured to allow for liquid extraction therethrough and a second end region coupled to the base component, and 
 the base component of the sip lid is configured to be stretched over necks of drinking vessels having diameters ranging from about 30 mm to about 55 mm. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising uncoupling the sip lid from the drinking vessel by pulling at least one of the sip lid and the drinking vessel relative to each other in an opposite direction until the sip lid is no longer in contact with the drinking vessel. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein pulling at least one of the sip lid and the drinking vessel relative to each other does not include rotating. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 16 , wherein the drinking vessel is a first drinking vessel, the neck is a first neck, and the method further comprises:
 uncoupling the sip lid from the first drinking vessel; and 
 attaching the sip lid to a second neck of a second drinking vessel, the second neck being shaped and/or sized differently than the first neck. 
 
     
     
       20. A lid for a baby bottle, comprising:
 a spout component having a first end region and a second end region opposite to the first end region, wherein—
 the spout component is shaped and sized to be received within a mouth of a child, and 
 the first end region comprises at least one opening configured to allow liquid to be extracted through the spout component when the child is applying suction to the spout component; and 
 
 a base component having:
 (i) a top portion extending from the second end region of the spout component and surrounding the spout component and configured to extend around a neck of the baby bottle, and 
 (ii) a side portion extending from the top portion away from the spout component, wherein the side portion comprises—
 a first inner surface, 
 one or more ridges extending radially inward from the first inner surface and configured to concur within threads along the neck, and 
 a peripheral edge region having a second inner surface with a larger diameter than that of the first inner surface around a circumference of the peripheral edge region, the second inner surface being substantially parallel to the first inner surface, 
 
 wherein the side portion of the base component is configured to stretch around differently sized bottle necks to form a liquid-tight seal between the base component and the bottle necks, and 
 
 wherein the base component and the spout component are made from silicone. 
 
     
     
       21. The lid of  claim 20 , wherein the at least one opening of the first end region has a shape of a slit. 
     
     
       22. The lid of  claim 20 , wherein the spout component and the base component are formed as a single integral structure. 
     
     
       23. The lid of  claim 20 , wherein the side portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of grip regions separated by a plurality of flat regions, the grip regions defined by protrusions and/or indentations along the outer surface. 
     
     
       24. The lid of  claim 20 , wherein the top portion comprises an airflow opening having an elongated shape. 
     
     
       25. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral edge region is extending away from an outer surface of the side portion and is positioned partially along the one or more ridges positioned on the first inner surface of the side portion. 
     
     
       26. The sip lid of  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral edge region is extending away from an outer surface of the side portion and is positioned at least partially below the one or more ridges positioned on the first inner surface of the side portion. 
     
     
       27. The lid of  claim 13 , wherein the side portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of grip regions separated by a plurality of flat regions, the grip regions forming protrusions or indentations along the outer surface.